Questions to consider before you try to articulate your central idea:
- Why did the author focus on this particular bird or group of birds?
- Why did the author write at this particular moment in time?
- Why should we trust the author’s observations? Insights?
- Is there any evidence of tension between the author’s view of this bird and more commonly held views?
- What effect does the author aim for?
Questions that may help you articulate your central idea:
- Why did you choose this text?
- What is it about the text that intrigues you or bothers you?
- Can you point to specific passages that prompted your response?
- What would you like your readers to understand about this text that they might not have noticed or considered on their first reading of it?
- Why does this aspect of the text matter? What does it reveal about the text as a whole? About some larger issue?
- How can you help your readers share your understanding of the text?
- What is the logical starting point for your essay?
- What is the logical sequence of points within your essay?
Preparation for essay (required): Request approval of planned focus for your essay by Session 4. Send the instructor a two-sentence description of your focus and thesis. The earlier you send this email, the sooner you will receive a response.
Guidelines for essay:
- 1st draft should be 3–4 pages long (1000–1300 words, double-spaced).
- Use MLA in-text citations. Remember Works Cited list.
- See publication information below for Beston, Eiseley, and additional Carson material.
- Edit and proofread your draft before submitting it.
- Post a copy on the class site by Session 5 and bring three copies to class.
Guidelines for introduction:
- Avoid cosmic claims. Focus on your particular work.
- Assume that your readers are thoughtful and open-minded.
Publication information for assigned material that did not appear in American Earth:
Henry Beston’s “Autumn, Ocean, and Birds, I” was taken from Beston’s book The Outermost House. The book was originally published in 1928, but this edition was published by Penguin Books of New York City, in 1976. Original pages appear on scanned copy.
Loren Eiseley’s "The Judgment of the Birds" was taken from The Norton Book of Nature Writing edited by Robert Finch and John Elder, pages 525–533. The anthology was published by W. W. Norton & Company of New York in 1990. Original pages appear on scanned copy.
Rachel Carson’s “And No Birds Sing” (additional material) was taken from Silent Spring (Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition) published in 1987 by Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston. Original pages appear on scanned copy.